Laugh. Love. Learn.

sometimes i take this test (or some version of it) to see how i score. i always get the same answer, year after year.
i’m an “INFJ.”

you can read about INFJs here and here and here.
apparently, it means i’m a weirdo.

sometimes i wonder how people perceive me in new situations. i know that may sound ridiculous, but have you ever thought about it? i try to recognize that my first impressions of new people could be completely incorrect… and i wonder what their first impressions are of me. i hope it’s kind and gentle and teachable…which definitely needs to involve more of Jesus and less of me. more listening. more compassion. less talking. more smiles. which, to be honest, isn’t always easy for me when it comes to strangers. but i’m working on it.

I got tagged by Stephen, my favorite preacher in Suwanee, today…
Here’s the deal: Link to the person who tagged you. Post the rules on your blog. Write six random things about yourself. Tag three people at the end of your post and link to them. Let each person know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

the Randomness:
1. I’m not an animal person. Not at all. However, I do like Lola, my next door neighbor. She’s a bulldog. I like her because she makes Tanner squeal with delight. T points at their house and barks.
2. Though I recognize it’s bad for you, sometimes I want to eat Cool Whip straight out of the container. Like tonight. There are fresh white peaches sitting on my counter, whispering “layer me with coooooolllllwwwwhhhhhiiiiipppppp.” Yummy. But alas, I’m too sleepy to drive to Publix.
3. I’m stoked that the K-Dawg is such a good cheerleader. Not in the psycho-cheer-parent-in-the-tennis-skirt-dripping-with-diamonds kind of way….but just because it’s fun to watch her be successful at something she really enjoys.
4. I’m sad that Robert Irvine got booted from Dinner: Impossible. I liked his intensity. He kinda reminded me of Pat, but meaner, and from England. But apparently Robert didn’t tell the whole truth. So he got booted. Not sure the show will ever be the same. Dang it.
5. I’m not a morning person or a night person.. It should be illegal to wake up before 6:00am. Really, I’d like to sleep everyday from midnight ’til 8am. Not reality, but I think that’s how I’d wired.
6. I miss Heather Davis. Heather and Spencer used to visit me every morning when I worked in G-town. There was usually laughter involved. Or communal granola-bar consumption. Or sometimes just silence. But they were there, and I looked forward to it everyday. Perhaps that’s contributing to my lack of enthusiasm about mornings. I need more Heather in my life.

and for the tags…
1. The coolest kid in fun-roe, Morgan Collins.
2. The most amazing school counselor in the world, Mrs. Teague.
3. The best 2nd grade teacher I know, who hasn’t blogged in 2 weeks(!), Candace Queen.

Guess who got the Spirit Stick at the FIRST DAY OF CAMP?!?
The Spirit Stick is given to the squad member who displays the most effort and has the best attitude…that’s my girl!!! I’m so proud of her. She’s quite the little cheerleader!

Mmm hmmmh.
Go Hawks!

tomorrow’s the big day. 8 hours from now i’ll be employed.
here are some things i’m praying:
- that i’ll be aware of and responsive to the Holy Spirit.
- that God will reveal to me the people he wants me to influence.
- that people will see Jesus in me.
- that my days are not wasted.
- that i have a spirit of humility and thankfulness, not frustration or
disappointment.
- that i will be obedient to what God’s called me to do for now, so He can
trust me to be obedient with more later.
- that i won’t want more later, but will be focused on how i can impact the
Kingdom THIS day.
- that i glorify Him in my actions, conversations, and all that i do.
- and that i have the strength and ability (that doesn’t come from me!) to
represent Him well.

maybe this kicked my tail.

good thing, i needed it.

what are you praying today? how can i pray for you?

have you ever thought about how crazy it is that the Lord makes your teeth all match up? i hadn’t ever really thought about this until i got a filling and my teeth didn’t match up….and i didn’t get it fixed for a couple of weeks. it was totally frustrating and uncomfortable. and it was probably only a millimeter off. it’s insane how intricately delicate we are created! so i was sitting in the dental chair this week, getting that tooth fixed and two more fillings (see why i think “dentist” is synonymous with “hell?”), and i couldn’t help but to marvel at how awesome it is that everyone’s teeth are unique and match up perfectly.

i also saw the Lord this week in these beautiful hydrangeas that my sweet friend, Nicole, brought me…hydrangeas are my favorite!

how did you see Jesus this week?

the return of m’moon.

does your life ever run away with you? mine’s trying to do that right now. i’m desperately fighting consumption, but i suppose the most authentic way to handle the chaos is to drag you along with me.

the top five things on the mind of yours truly:

1. Sweet Baby Ella. She’s improving and growing stronger! I can’t stop pleading with Jesus for the best possible outcome for the Wigintons. I’m so encouraged by the response of the people at theVine — it is awesome to see the church BE the church! It strengthens my resolve to work as hard as I can everyday for theVine, because I can see that people’s lives have been and are being changed! Look at this precious little hand:

2. My interesting new job starts full-time on Monday. The subject is new. The curriculum is new. The people are new. The building is new. The schedule is new. T’s daycare is new. Did I mention that everything is new?

3. Lots going on at theVine. Working on a new set, meeting about Christmas Eve tomorrow, dreaming about opportunities to serve people, thinking, thinking, thinking… Good thinking, but thinking.

4. My sweet girls. I love being home with them. Their personalities are very different, and they’re awesome in their own unique ways. They’re so my favorite.
Tanner is expressing interest in serving on the Production Team,
and Katelynn is loving the summer.

She is gorgeous and growing up so fast…

5. I got to read this magazine today! It made me really excited about football season…the first game is in 39 days!!! I know it sounds ridiculous, but the anticipation of watching Georgia football makes me want fall to hurry up and get here. I love being a fan. Maybe that’s why my senior superlative was Most Spirited. ha ha LAME

and there you have it, folks. Captain Random. wish it was more profound, but for today, that’s all i’ve got.

look at this stuff; isn’t it neat? i spent the weekend implementing the Little Mermaid theme for my favorite 4-year-old’s birthday party. the cake:

check out the piping…i saw Duff do pretty swirls and thought i’d try it…

cupcakes, anyone? with edible purple glitter, of course.

introducing Sebastian the Lobster and his Flounder-esque cookie friends…
(mmm okay. so i didn’t have time to make fish. but they’re the right color and they’ve got stripes…)

did you know how difficult it is to find a lobster cookie cutter? let’s go with impossible. i called 11 stores and then Danielle went to 10…and she finally found a copper lobster mold. which i promptly filled with red rice krispie treats. to the right you see the “under the sea” jello environments…complete with sand (crushed shortbread cookies,) umbrellas, swedish fish swimming in the berry blue jello ocean, and fish washed up on shore.

the island that ariel lives on. (bahahaha)

we need to walk and run and play all day in the sun to work off all those desserts. goodness. and that, my friends, is how we got our mermaid on.

Hi friends! I want to you to meet someone who is very special to me:
Ella Claire Wiginton.

Ella really needs your prayers. She was born yesterday, July 18th, at 3:09pm, and she weighs 3 pounds and 3 ounces. Specifically, please pray for her breathing and that her lungs would develop, for her feeding and nourishment, and against any infections or developmental complications from being so premature. Apparently Ella couldn’t wait to meet us and decided to arrive 9 weeks early!

Please pray for Kent and Candice as well. Pray for strength, peace, wisdom, and for physical healing for Candice. Kent and Candice are cherished friends. I met Kent when I was teaching at Grayson HS. I was looking for a sound system for an FCA event and one of my students said, “my cool math teacher plays the drums and I think he has a sound system…” I went to find said math teacher. Not only did he go to Athens to retrieve his sound system and let us borrow it, he came early to set it up and ran it for the entire night! That’s typical Kent. Constantly serving with all he’s got, even for people he doesn’t know. I quickly decided the cool math teacher and I should be friends. Kent is the most gifted teacher I’ve ever met, hands down. His commitment to excellence, innovation in lesson design, and devotion to his students is indescribably incredible. He’s brilliant. And he has a rockstar sense of style. He loves Macs, and can pull off a shirt that says “adorkable.” When Kent realized I was trying to create a band for the first preview service of The Vine, he volunteered to play the drums…and mentioned that his wife, Candice, played the keys…and the rest is history. They drive 45 minutes one-way to play in theVine[band] almost every week.

Through Kent, I met Candice. Candice shows genuine concern for other people; she is such a great friend. One time she cooked ME lunch on HER birthday. That’s typical Candice. I first admired Candice for her musical talents (homegirl owns the piano,) but soon realized that she puts Martha Stewart to shame. I’ve never met anyone with such multifaceted mastery of all things domestication! She is a cooking, cleaning, sewing, crafting, embroidering, homemaking guru. It’s really quite incredible to observe. She’s amazing! She makes the best cheesecake, and her house is immaculate. She’s also the creator of my exceptionally cool custom yellow & orange diaper bag. People often think we’re related (which I take as a compliment!) and say things like “your sister sang so well this morning!” I usually just smile and nod.

Kent & Candice were on vacation in Daytona Beach yesterday when she suddenly went into labor, needed an emergency C-section, and before they knew it Ella Claire was here! The stress of having a premature daughter is obviously compounded by being about 9 hours away from home…for an indefinite amount of time. Please pray that God would hold them all in His hands as they trust in His perfect plan for their family.

You can read more about their story here.

28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31

Today we got to meet baby Josie! We had so much fun visiting with her parents, Kristy & Russ, and all the Walters. I was especially excited to hold baby Josie because I’ve always wanted a baby with red hair! I had the most rockstar red headed Cabbage Patch Kid when I was little…she was awesome. Josie is awesomer! Look at that sweet little face…

Tanner kept pointing at her and saying “Baby!” and petting her head. Precious.

Katelynn used some of her phenomenal big sister skills,

and I think I’d forgotten how tiny they are! So, so sweet. I love babies.

Thank you for coming out to the boonies to visit us, Kristy & Russ!
We’re looking forward to seeing Josie in a little cheerleader outfit while we watch some Georgia football…